MF135 Hydraulic Control and Gear Case HOT

fpappal

Member
I have a 135 that my great-uncle bought new back in 1967. The hydraulics are controlled by two levers between your legs. The lever on the left controls the 3-point hitch and the lever on the right controls a hydraulic cylinder in the front of the tractor that is attached to a plow. Would this control be a MF option? Or something he rigged up?

I mow a field with this tractor a few times a month with a 6ft finish mower. It takes about 3 hours to do the job and while I am mowing the hydraulic control gets HOT. You cannot touch it without burning your fingers. If you feel the gear case that it is attached to it is also extremely hot. Too hot to touch that is for sure. I don't recall it ever getting hot like this in the past, but maybe it always has and I just did not notice it. The oil level is where it should be in the transmission.

Any thoughts as to why this is getting so hot? I included a few pics of the hydraulic control.
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Hi Probably not a fix for your problem but you need to clean the crud off the transmission and back end as this will not be helping. It is like the tractor is working wearing a great coat. Keep them clean so the housings can dissipate heat.
 
Excessive heat within a hydraulic system is created when oil pressure (provided by pump) is blocked and going over the pressure relief valve. You have one of your valves creating a closed (oil) pressure situation. That is NO oil is returning to the tank (case) via an open center valve.

Is your position control lever in the constant pumping position?
Are the valve levers on the lift cover in a neutral position?
You stated "The lever on the left controls the 3-point". Could this valve shut off the 3-point and port oil to your plow cylinder via the 2nd valve lever?
The 3-point is really controlled by the inward lever near your right hip.

I don't have any information on the operation of the dual valve installed on your lift cover. Others will chime in on this, be patient.
 
So how hot is hot? My Allis Chalmers D series would all get the left side of the trannies too hot to touch your leg on, I would need to wear hi leather boots while baling in 100 degree heat. Might be you need larger diameter hoses, or a separate cooling core like the industrial models have. Hoes, street sweepers need a cooling core cause of the constant pressure- which sounds like what you are doing... but like said above, keep it all clean, inside and out, and be sure those levers are both set properly for what you are doing.
 
As soon as you wrote "constant pumping" it got me thinking. I do remember my great uncle saying something about keeping it always in the constant pumping position. I got out the owners manual and sure enough it mentions that with the optional hydraulic control I have that it needs to be in the constant pumping position. Thanks for the reminder. My hand must have hit the lever at some point and I never noticed it had moved.
 
You are absolutely correct. I am kind of embarrassed of that pic I posted. I do try to keep it clean but time seems to slip by and things get forgotten. To tell you the truth we only just got an outdoor hose connection a few years back. The property use to belong to my great grandfather. Not sure how they went all those years without an outdoor hose. You have inspired me, this weekend the 135 is getting a bath.
 

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